Creating a positive nursing culture is essential to improving patient outcomes, nursing recruitment & retention, and overall satisfaction with the work environment. However, changing the culture of a nursing unit is challenging. By incorporating personality assessments and emotional intelligence, you can tailor your approach to create a positive nursing culture in your unit.
Here are six steps to creating a positive nursing culture while utilizing these tools:
Define Your Team Values With The B.A.N.K. Personality Assessment
Start by using the B.A.N.K. Personality Assessment to identify the values and traits of your team members. By understanding their personality profiles, you can individualize your approach to change management and communication to better engage them and promote buy-in. Once you have a clear understanding of their values, move on to Step 2. Click here to get your complimentary personality assessment.
2. Develop Individualized Communication Plans
The B.A.N.K. Methodology identifies four unique personality types:
B - Blueprint: values rules, tradition, details, predictability, structure, systems, planning;
A - Action: values opportunity, excitement, fun; bullet point information; get to the bottom line;
N - Nurturer: values relationships, authenticity, teamwork, community, charity, a good cause;
K - Knowledge: values the big picture, scientific truths, self-mastery, technology, research.
Each of the four personality types has a different communication and learning style. With the BANKCODE in hand, you can now develop Individualized Communication Plans that make it simple to share information with your team in a way that they will hear and understand it. This will increase your buy-in. It is also an excellent way to communicate with patients and families.
3. Lead By Example With Emotional Intelligence
As a leader, your behavior sets the tone for your nursing unit. Be the example of the culture you want to create, and use emotional intelligence to navigate the challenges of change with empathy, compassion, and sensitivity to the needs of your team and patients. By recognizing the emotional climate of the workplace and managing your own emotions, you can inspire and motivate your staff to follow suit.
4. Encourage Open Communication
Creating a positive nursing culture requires open communication among staff, patients, and their families. Encourage your staff to communicate openly and authentically with each other and with patients and their families. By creating an environment of open communication, you'll foster trust, increase team satisfaction, and improve patient outcomes.
5. Invest In Emotional Intelligence Training For Your Nursing Team
Investing in your team is critical to creating a positive nursing culture. Providing opportunities for professional development and continuing education in the areas of emotional intelligence, personality science and individualized communication plans can pave the way for sustainable culture transformation in your unit. Involving your team in this way will help them feel valued and engaged. Additionally, recognizing and rewarding your staff for their hard work and achievements can help boost morale and foster a sense of community.
6. Measure and Celebrate Success
Creating a positive nursing culture is a journey, and it's important to measure and celebrate your successes along the way. Establish a plan to review: 1) the impact of individualized communication plans on nurse leader to nurse communication, nurse to nurse communication, and nurse to patient communication; 2) team feedback on the state of unit culture; 3) team and patient feedback on satisfaction with communication based on individualized communication plans; 4) impact of individualized communication plans on patient outcomes.
Set measurable goals for your unit and track your progress. When you achieve a goal or make progress towards it, celebrate with your staff. Celebrating success reinforces the values that are important to your culture and inspires your staff to continue to work towards creating a positive nursing environment.
In summary, creating a positive nursing culture is a process that requires commitment, time, and effort. By using personality assessments, emotional intelligence and individualized communication plans to tailor your approach, you can create a positive and compassionate culture that promotes excellence in patient care and team satisfaction. Remember, positive change starts with a single step, so take action today to create a brighter future for your nursing unit.
Join me during Nurses’ Week 2023 for complimentary 3.0 contact hour nursing continuing education course, Making Nurses Matter: Transforming Nursing Culture & Work Environment, and invite your entire team! This presentation is dedicated to improving nursing culture and work environment and will inspire your team with innovative strategies to immediately improve the culture of your unit. Sign up at https://www.TeresaSanderson.com/mnm